John Legend Talks New Album, Wedding and Those Blurred Lines

PLAY AUDIOPLAY AUDIOJohn Legend has already put a ring on it, and is marrying his outspoken fiancée Chrissy Teigen this year. But don’t ask when or where. The Tom Joyner Morning Show couldn’t get an answer from him about the wedding.

“Soon,” Legend said when asked when the nuptials were taking place. “Yeah, we set a date, but we’re not talking about it.”

Fortunately, Legend is more forthcoming about his new release “Love In the Future.”

One of his new songs “All of Me” is being touted as a wedding song, so much that Legend will sing it at one lucky couple’s wedding next year. (See details about the contest on Blackamericaweb.com on Monday, September 19th.) Legend expects to sing at his own wedding, though he didn’t say if he’d sing one of the songs he’s already recorded or a totally new one.

He did have something to say about the current controversy over Robin Thicke and producer Pharell Williams’ “Blurred Lines.” Thicke launched a preemptive strike against Marvin Gaye’s estate by setting in motion a lawsuit. The family contends that “Blurred Lines” is way too close to the Gaye classic “Got to Give It Up.” You be the judge.

“I see where Robin’s coming from too,” Legend says. “I see both sides. We all sample and its always a bit of a gray area as far as what you pay the master sample for and what you pay the writers for. It’s a bit complicated.”

“If you see a suit you like in the store and then you make a version that’s almost exactly the same – you make it yourself – it’s very reminiscent of the original. He didn’t steal that actual suit, he made a version that looked a lot like the original suit – heavily influenced by the original. That’s why its a grey area whether you actually stole the suit.”

Though nudity in videos is the hot trend right now – Justin Timberlake’s video for “Tunnel Vision” features a nude model and Legend’s latest video “Made to Love,” has shots of nude couples, although they don’t directly interact with him, Legend says his wife-to-be isn’t a fan.

“She hates it,” Legend said of Teigen’s feelings about women who appear in his videos. But Teigen has good reason for her feelings. “We met back in 2006 when we shot a video together and we obviously hit it off. She doesn’t like seeing any girls in the video with me, especially how we met.”

Here are few highlights from “Love In the Future.”

“You and I”

“I wrote this song in my house in L.A. with Dan Wilson, who wrote “Someone Like You” with Adele. You know how you have to reassure your lady sometimes when she’s standing in front of the mirror?

Everybody’s insecure. She’s not sure her hair is right – hair, makeup dress and I talk about that in the song.”

“The Beginning”

“When you first meet somebody and you know you want them. (The song is about continuing to do the things you did at first to keep her happy.)”